Thanks, atleast its not just me. I wonder if it would have anything to do with the recent server migration.
[Col] Colonization picture viewer
- Thread starter angrylion
- Start date
Thanks, atleast its not just me. I wonder if it would have anything to do with the recent server migration.
institution
Chieftain
- Joined
- May 7, 2014
- Messages
- 7
May I ask what do you need, exactly? I currently have madspack related tool but it will need some mild adjustments to work well with Col.
institution
Chieftain
- Joined
- May 7, 2014
- Messages
- 7
Zharramadar
Chieftain
HI guys,
Thanks for fixing my typo, and the improvements in the SS decompression, I figured out the typo almost immedately after I posted the source, but somehow forgot to mention here (I swear I thought I did that). I did also increase to * 4 after I figured my images were darker than the original ones.
I'll apply the other changes as well to my own source at home.
I did, in the meanwhile, the intro for colonization in C# code, I captured all the positions for the ship using dosbox, recording it as JPEG series, and then capturing the image in all frames. If someone wants that, I can give you a txt file containing x,y for all frames. Works like charm. I also used some scaling techniques to scale the images using 2xSAI and other algorithms on the fly, which allowed me to scale colonization data to more recent resolutions in a "good" way.
I did also a text to Colonization font class which allows me to blit text and get the size of a string in pixels.
The SS file, as I could find out from using the animations from the intro, are based on center, so when blitting it, do not blit it using the top-left most pixel as one would do usually, find each frame's center, and blit it according to the center. This way the animations will fit the static image in the background.
Maybe someday I'll find time and strength to make a windowing system using colonization original window graphics, too lazy now.
Thanks for fixing my typo, and the improvements in the SS decompression, I figured out the typo almost immedately after I posted the source, but somehow forgot to mention here (I swear I thought I did that). I did also increase to * 4 after I figured my images were darker than the original ones.
I'll apply the other changes as well to my own source at home.
I did, in the meanwhile, the intro for colonization in C# code, I captured all the positions for the ship using dosbox, recording it as JPEG series, and then capturing the image in all frames. If someone wants that, I can give you a txt file containing x,y for all frames. Works like charm. I also used some scaling techniques to scale the images using 2xSAI and other algorithms on the fly, which allowed me to scale colonization data to more recent resolutions in a "good" way.
I did also a text to Colonization font class which allows me to blit text and get the size of a string in pixels.
The SS file, as I could find out from using the animations from the intro, are based on center, so when blitting it, do not blit it using the top-left most pixel as one would do usually, find each frame's center, and blit it according to the center. This way the animations will fit the static image in the background.
Maybe someday I'll find time and strength to make a windowing system using colonization original window graphics, too lazy now.
Zharramadar
Chieftain
Also, if anyone can't download my files here, I can send it to you, just PM me, although I just tested and all worked fine.
I have installed the java and when I load some file it does not visualize the image.
So glad this thread exists! Am using @Zharramadar 's editor to view files. Does anyone know which file in the ColDOS folder has the terrain graphics tileset? I'd like to extract all of them as I and some others have been thinking about trying to make a classic style Col Graphics mod for the excellent FreeCol project (since it's graphics aren't always everyone's cup of tea lol). Anyway if someone's already done that before please let me know where they posted the extracted terrains.
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Zharramadar
Chieftain
hey hey!
Happy to see my tool is still useful after so many years.
As for the terrain, if I recall properly after so long, it is a mix from TERRAIN.SS and PHYS0.SS. Terrain.ss is the base tile, and phys0.ss contain things like tile transition masks, roads, rivers, mountains, etc, and that is drawn over the main tile. Not sure if that's all, but hey, long time since I delved into anything Colonization-related.
My tool can extract the images, but one by one, shouldn't be hard to change it to export all the images in a sprite series. If you need or don't know how to do that, I can do it and post here.
Happy to see my tool is still useful after so many years.
As for the terrain, if I recall properly after so long, it is a mix from TERRAIN.SS and PHYS0.SS. Terrain.ss is the base tile, and phys0.ss contain things like tile transition masks, roads, rivers, mountains, etc, and that is drawn over the main tile. Not sure if that's all, but hey, long time since I delved into anything Colonization-related.
My tool can extract the images, but one by one, shouldn't be hard to change it to export all the images in a sprite series. If you need or don't know how to do that, I can do it and post here.
Thanks man!
Although I've just remembered that the windows version has higher resolution assets in many cases (which would be good for the project I'm thinking about doing) so I need to get into those DLL files. I noticed earlier in the convo that @thomasd said it was easy to get into the DLLs but didn't say how and I have no idea! For the hell of it I tried the Civ2 DLL viewers GifX & Resource Hacker but sure enough they didn't work with WinCol.Zharramadar
Chieftain
For WinCol, you can use a tool like this: https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/resources_extract.html
or if you still cannot do it, point me to where I can get WinCol and I'll try to figure it out for you.
or if you still cannot do it, point me to where I can get WinCol and I'll try to figure it out for you.
Thanks mate, sadly it the program couldn't seem to extract anything from the ColWin DLLs.
Only way to get ColWin is on warez sites which presumably I'm not allowed to post here. However I've zipped up all of the DLL files from ColWin and attached them.
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AyCe
Warlord
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2019
- Messages
- 118
I know you've asked about the Windows version, but for the DOS version, I've adapted Zharramadar's tool to export all files at once automatically. If he's OK with it I can upload the code to Github.
I'd be very interested in the assets if you do manage to extract them from the Windows version. It seems the DLLs are not 32 bit executable compatible. 16 bit maybe?
EDIT: Added full Col4win download. I think the game is old enough for nobody to care, but in case the mods are not OK with this, just delete it.
I'd be very interested in the assets if you do manage to extract them from the Windows version. It seems the DLLs are not 32 bit executable compatible. 16 bit maybe?
EDIT: Added full Col4win download. I think the game is old enough for nobody to care, but in case the mods are not OK with this, just delete it.
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That's awesome! Yeah I really hope @Zharramadar gives you permission as I'd love that!!!
Yeah I suspected the same thing. Modern DLL viewers aren't going to be able to get into them. We need an old 16 bit DLL viewer/extractor.
Zharramadar
Chieftain
Sure, upload to github, just give the credits there and all is good!
As for ColWin, indeed no modern tool can extract it, tried a few, to no avail.
I tried installing a Windows 98 VM here with Visual C++ 6.0, and it can open the DLL, but seems those DLLs contain only string resources. Not sure if that's just VC++6 being stupid or if it is a custom compression format they used, and stored the images within the DLL in this format. I must admit I did not had much time to go deep into that, maybe it is just a matter of copying the binary data and saving as some format? Or using madspack to decompress each binary resource?
I'll try more when I have some free time. Let me know if you find anything.
As for ColWin, indeed no modern tool can extract it, tried a few, to no avail.
I tried installing a Windows 98 VM here with Visual C++ 6.0, and it can open the DLL, but seems those DLLs contain only string resources. Not sure if that's just VC++6 being stupid or if it is a custom compression format they used, and stored the images within the DLL in this format. I must admit I did not had much time to go deep into that, maybe it is just a matter of copying the binary data and saving as some format? Or using madspack to decompress each binary resource?
I'll try more when I have some free time. Let me know if you find anything.
AyCe
Warlord
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2019
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Uploaded:
https://github.com/TheRealAyCe/MADSPackViewer
You can use the free Visual Studio Community version to build the project.
https://github.com/TheRealAyCe/MADSPackViewer
You can use the free Visual Studio Community version to build the project.
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Cheers.. not a programmer but I've compiled a few things in VS over the years. Installing new one now.. what 'workloads' do I need installed?
Thanks for trying.. @honza.havlicek was able to getinto the CivWin 16bit dlls with 'something' to create his cool dos graphics mod for CivWin.. I wonder how he did it!
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/dos-tileset-for-civwin.268133/#post-6623292
EDIT: Oh wait CivWin is using RSC files not DLL to store assets.. my bad.
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AyCe
Warlord
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2019
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@Blake00: You only need .NET Desktop development I think. When the project is opened you might need to right-click BatchExport and set it as Startup Project, as well as change the 2 paths in BatchExports Program.cs. Alternatively you can set MADSPack as Startup Project and when launched it should just open the program. The current Startup Project has a the title in bold in the Project Explorer.
The upload is also intended to preserve the fixed version, since the extractor thread offers a download for the older version that has some bugs, and you manually need to change a few files. Hopefully people will end up just downloading the repository and hopefully we can just fix stuff once in there in the future so not everyone has to fix their downloaded version.
The upload is also intended to preserve the fixed version, since the extractor thread offers a download for the older version that has some bugs, and you manually need to change a few files. Hopefully people will end up just downloading the repository and hopefully we can just fix stuff once in there in the future so not everyone has to fix their downloaded version.
Does doesn't sound as easy as I hoped but I'll try lol.
I'd say the headache of making sure people have the latest version is far less than the headache of people repeatedly pestering you for info on how the hell they compile your stuff IMO mate haha.
I'd say the headache of making sure people have the latest version is far less than the headache of people repeatedly pestering you for info on how the hell they compile your stuff IMO mate haha.
AyCe
Warlord
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2019
- Messages
- 118
It might sound like a lot, but opening the solution file and pressing start is all you really have to do. I'd say this is normal effort for running/compiling any .NET app from source. The "startup project" stuff is just for launching BatchExport instead of the normal program. 
I improved the BatchExporter and uploaded compiled binaries in the "releases" section of the Github page! So you don't have to compile them anymore. But if you don't trust random files on the internet or want to work on it yourself, you can use the source files.
I improved the BatchExporter and uploaded compiled binaries in the "releases" section of the Github page! So you don't have to compile them anymore. But if you don't trust random files on the internet or want to work on it yourself, you can use the source files.
Bladrov
Warlord
I know I'm late to this party (just over a year later than your last post, AyCe!), but these are nifty utilities, and I'm a big fan of this old game. What I'd most like to find, though, is something that mines the data files (maybe your latest save game?) and gives info on the Indian villages: say, for the village at (59, 68) whether it's been visited, and if so what it will teach, what it demands, and what it will sell. Something like the Gold Box Companion (https://gbc.zorbus.net/) would be completely awesome, but probably just a bit ambitious.
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